What is Change wars?

Change Wars is our annual fundraising campaign where we invite businesses, schools, workplaces and clubs to help us raise money for children in our own community dealing with mental health problems like those affected by grief, loss, trauma or bullying.

The money we raise helps us fund counselling and other family centre services to help children deal with their pain safely. In 2019 we were grateful to raise over $8000! In 2020 we unfortunately had to cancel change wars due to COVID-19 – but we will be back!

Through some friendly fundraisers we want organisations across Hawke’s Bay to join the war for change and help us raise money for children’s mental health. The support of our local organisations is vital to bring the importance of this issue to the fore and help us raise money for this drastically underfunded area of mental health.

How does it work?

Simply register a business, workplace, school, team or group and tell us what you are doing to raise money.

We’ll support you and your fundraiser too! We can do shout outs on Facebook and in our communications to help promote you and your fundraisers. We’ll do as many as we can to really get Hawke’s Bay listening… so join us and let our community know it’s not OK for our children to be battling depression, anxiety and bullying. We can help them and we can reduce self-harm and suicide!

How can I raise money?
If you’re stuck for ideas on how your workplace/team/organisation can raise money, here are a few to get you started:

• Have a mufti day/dress up day or jeans day and everyone donates a gold coin to participate
• Simply collect small change donations from your customers/staff
• Host a breakfast, lunch or party and charge people a cost to come
• Ask your customers or staff if they’d like to donate $2, 3 or 5 on top of their purchase/from their pay
• Hold a silent auction, bake sale or competition
• For a bit of fun, find and opponent to go up against and raise as much as you can. Beat your opponent for bragging rights for the whole year! Choose an opponent you really want to beat, perhaps another branch of your organisation or someone you get on well with.

How do we donate our proceeds?

Donating the money raised couldn’t be easier thanks to SBS Bank!
You can drop off donations to either branch of SBS Bank in Napier or Hastings or you can transfer online to account number 031355 0669496 00 Alternatively, give us a call and we’ll send someone to pick it up!

Why support children’s mental health?

So let’s get to the guts of it; children with mental health issues really do need more support. Think of it like first aid for a wound that could turn nasty…

• Did you know we see children as young as two who withdraw or struggle to learn when experiencing mental health problems?
• Astonishingly New Zealand rates the highest in the developed world for young people ending their lives!
• A quarter of our counselling clients are children and young people
• The range of problems we see in youth is complex; anxiety, depression, bullying, self-harm or suicidal ideation are common
• Services for children’s mental health problems are woefully underfunded in our region
• Attending to mental health issues early will reduce the risk of safety concerns and suicide
• Many young New Zealanders self-harm. About 20 young people require hospital treatment each week – this is preventable
• Children as young as 10 end their own lives
• With support, children experiencing mental health issues can live happier lives
• The support they need is often as little as three counselling sessions – that’s less than $300 per child to improve their future!

OK, I’m in, what next? 

Register your business/organisation/team/group on facebook or by email or call us on 06 843 7280. All you need to do is let us know who you are and what you are doing and we’ll be in touch!

Thank you as always to our amazing sponsors, we couldn’t do this without you!

•  SBS Bank
• Adam and Megan, The Hits